Looks like we made it

Yesterday was a day of highs and lows and somewhere-down-the-middles. The House Clearance people came to empty the house (on the right day, this time). I suppose this might have been a sad thing, but really, the house has been being emptied for the last three months, so it was no different. One of the men (the one who looked like Long John Silver) remarked that he had never seen so much computer equipment in his life. I can only assume he was referring to the carrier bag of Sega Megadrive games that was in the shed. It was certainly a good job he didn't see the house before all the computer equipment was sold, shipped or stored. Although they managed to take almost everything, they didn't quite manage to take the 20 or so wires that trailed from the computer room to the den (some sort of networking system I suppose). Luckily, I am very used to wires now. I gathered them all up and put them in the wheelie bin.

Somewhere in the middle of the day, a van marked "Agency Signs" arrived, and hammered in the Sold sign. The "O" in Sold has a little smiley face in it. It would have mirrored my sentiments better if the "L" had been leaping up and down shouting "Yippee!!!!!!"

At about 2.00pm, a car transporter appeared outside. I think all of us - but particulary B -had very happy memories of the jeep, it was certainly symbolic of all the good times we had during the two summers with the jet-skis. We all stood and watched as our little red jeep was driven on to the transporter. Mr Happy was still stuck on the dashboard, and the last we saw was him bobbing happily on his spring as the transporter drove away.

Today is my last day at work. It doesn't feel like my last day. It feels like a birthday. Such nice cards and presents - I'm so touched by the trouble people have gone to to put Chinese writing in my cards, and to get real Chinese money for my leaving present. People are so nice.

And now I must empty my desk, which I suppose is like emptying my house, except smaller. For Sale, some souvenir photos of rides on the Pleasure Beach, and a Principia System Administrator's Manual, unopened.

See you in Shanghai.